Academic citizenship beyond the service role: views of academics in England and the Philippines

The evolving nature of academic work in higher education invites a deep questioning of the conventional view of academic citizenship as the service role. Drawing insights from a multi-site case study of academics in England and the Philippines and taking a social psychological approach to citizenship, the paper reveals that for academics who work in highly performative contexts, academic citizenship means more than a ‘service’ role. It is perceived as a notion that integrates their activities, ideals and values as well as the ways they approach their work – how they see themselves as being academic citizens. Academic citizenship goes beyond the undertaking of activities with moral, altruistic and civic merits. This paper proposes the view of academic citizenship as a practice of enactment not simply a function of membership status. It encompasses the processes and means by which academics use freedoms and autonomy at their disposal, and the value they see as central to their membership in their academic communities.